With climate change posing the potential for more frequent and costly weather events, adaptation measures are critical for reducing future economic losses. Cutting-edge digital tools are enabling communities to see substantial impacts flood mitigation solutions can provide.
WSP developed FloodVueTM, an augmented reality tool, to help communities and landowners visualize flood scenarios and create an immersive picture of severe weather impacts before they occur. FloodVue is changing flood risk communication and highlighting the benefits of adaptation.
“With many factors and trade-offs at play, we are empowering clients with the data they need to make smarter, more resilient decisions,” said Andy Clevenger, global water sector lead for WSP. “This advanced digital model is successfully bridging the gap between the need for critical flood mitigation and the justification to procure essential funding for sustainable infrastructure investment.”
One of the most visible aspects of a changing climate is the increase in extreme weather events, including heavier downpours, higher storm surges and more intense tropical storms. As record-breaking flooding events become more frequent, adapting the built environment to withstand a more volatile climate is fundamental to building greater levels of sustainability and resilience in the cities and communities where we live and work.
According to the World Resources Institute, the number of people impacted by flooding will more than double within the next decade, and it is anticipated that the current economic loss due to riverine flooding will triple by 2030 to roughly $500 billion annually.
Prediction models show that every dollar spent to make infrastructure disaster-resilient preemptively saves $4 in reconstruction costs later.